Toll collection for Danang-Quang Ngai Expressway suspended

Toll collection for Danang-Quang Ngai Expressway suspended By Lan Nhi Danang-Quang Ngai Expressway has deteriorated after just months in operation – PHOTO: THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT HANOI – Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The today, October 11, suspended the toll collection for Danang-Quang Ngai Expressway, the first expressway in central Vietnam, as the road is in a serious state of disrepair. At a teleconference on compliance with traffic safety regulations in the January-September period, Minister The reported to Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh on the status of the expressway. The road has many potholes visible despite being opened to traffic for only short periods. The minister said the toll collection will be resumed after the project investor, Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), repairs the road. The project management unit had earlier attributed the road’s deterioration to torrential downpours and overloaded vehicles. Deputy Prime Minister Binh noted that these excuses were unreasonable and requested the Ministry of Transport to make a detailed report on the problem. The continued toll collection sparked public concern, Binh added. According to Minister The, on October 10, a working group from the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam started inspecting the road and asked VEC to repair it before October 20. Danang-Quang Ngai Expressway is 131 kilometers long, has four lanes and allows for a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The project required a total investment of VND34.5 trillion (US$1.5 billion), which was sourced from G-bond sales and loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency… [Read full story]